Hudson-Ford

Though best known for their membership in The Strawbs, the rhythm section of John Ford (bass) and Richard Husdon (drums) worked together both before and after their '70 - '73 stint with the folk-prog band. Previously with Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, and then The Velvet Opera, the duo moved on from the songwriting disputes of The Strawbs to form Hudson Ford in 1975. The two are well matched: in The Strawbs, Hudson would play low in the mix, often leaving the kit for entire songs to sing or play sitar, while Ford danced into the gap by playing a strongly precussive style of bass guitar. Their sound for Hudson Ford, though, ranged from McCartney-esque soft rock to glam, with a occasional nod to their electric folk past. Their roles broadened as well, with Hudson leaving the drums to others in order to focus on singing and lead guitar, and Ford expanding his vocal and acoustic guitar duties. The debut album "Nickolodeon" was bolstered by by the presence of Rick Wakeman and other studio sharpshooters, and the band scored a hit in the U.K. with the single "Pick Up the Pieces." Each successive album saw a dampening of their impact, though, and the two called it a day in 1977. Soon afterwards, though, the formed two more bands together: The Monks, and High Society.
© Paul Collins /TiVo